Julie Smith A&M2

I am a native of New Orleans, LA, the product of many generations that have lived and died
there. My family moved to Takoma Park, MD in 1967. Coming of age in those times has always
and will continue to shape my beliefs, opinions and art. I majored in art at Montgomery College
in Takoma Park, then began a career with the AFL-CIO (American Federation of Labor –
Congress of Industrial Organizations) in 1976 and served in many capacities.

Coming from a union household, in fact a union family on both my parents’ sides, working at the
AFL-CIO seemed more a mission than a job for me. However, I no longer had time or emotional
fortitude to draw and/or paint, but expressed my creative side with making beaded jewelry,
learning beginning silversmithing and working in stained glass.

Upon retiring in September 2001, I began to take classes and workshops and reawakened the
passion for fine art that slumbered so long while I tended to my career. I began working in
watercolor then moved to acrylic painting. Painting in acrylic affords me the ability to paint in
vivid colors, as well as muted and neutral tones. I enjoy painting landscapes, people, animals of
all kinds and abstraction. I love collage and have become a semi-hoarder of bits and pieces of
ephemera for use in my works.

Currently, I am a Resident Artist at Artists & Makers 2 in Rockville, MD. Getting away from
my home studio and having the ability to exchange ideas and materials with other artists has
had a profound impact on my art and creative expression. I continue to take workshops and
classes to keep fired up and broaden my abilities. I once read that creating art is not about
talent, but about work. I have found that to be the truest statement of all. If you have interest in
art, working as much as you possibly can in your chosen field and medium, is the path to
success and satisfaction.

Artists & Makers Studios is dedicated to providing a supportive and vibrant environment for artists to realize their creative goals – through studio practice, collaboration, education, opportunities, networking and connecting with the community beyond our doors.